This invention relates generally to networks, and more specifically to apparatus and methods for modeling, managing, analyzing Voice over IP (VoIP) networks.
Voice over IP (VoIP) is an emerging technology to package analog audio signal, such as those transmitted over a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), as information packets and transmit the packets over one or more networks.
FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate exemplary VoIP network configurations. FIG. 1A illustrates a VoIP configuration 100 wherein conventional packet-switched network 110, e.g., the Internet, provides service link between telephone 140.1 and 140.2. In this illustrated example, a user, at telephone 140.1 enters the telephone number of telephone 140.2 and the information is provided through router 135.1 to gateway 120.1. Gateway 120.1 provides signals, through router 130 to gateway 120.2 to establish the connection, i.e., pathways within network 110. After the connection is established, telephone 140.1 communicates with telephone 140.2 through the established transport connection 138.
FIG. 1B illustrates a conventional VoIP Enterprise network configuration, wherein each of the telephones in the network is associated with a single entity, e.g., a company. PSTN gateway 155, also referred to a Media Gateway, provides communication with the public network 160 to enable users within the enterprise to contact users outside the enterprise. FIG. 1C illustrates a second conventional VoIP network configuration referred to as Hosted Services. In this case voice service and gateways are provided by a telecom provider for clients represented A 122, B, 124 and C, 126. FIG. 1D illustrates another conventional VoIP network configuration referred to as Managed Services. In this configuration voice services and gateways are locally hosted at the users' sites.
With the increasing development of, and dependency upon, networks to provide services, such as VoIP, to businesses and their customers, the need for proper management and operation of the network is increasing more important. Not only does the VoIP service provide a less costly means of providing voice services, it is inherently more reliable in that the voice packets may be dynamically routed in case of fails occurring in the network.
Hence, there is a need in the industry for a method and system for representing, analyzing and determining root cause errors and the impact of such errors in VoIP networks.